Document Type

Article

Publication Date

4-1-2008

Abstract

© 2008 American Registry of Professional Animal Scientists. Eighty-six primiparous or multiparoussows and their pigs were used to evaluatethe effects of changing DCAD in late gestation and in lactation on sow productivity.Sows were allotted to treatment based on parity and their farrowing date. Experiment 1 was a preliminary experiment conducted to determine the level of DCAD that would reduce urinary pH. Twenty sows were used in Exp. 1, and the dietary treatments consisted of a corn-soybean meal diet with 4 levels of DCAD (140, 103, 80, and 56 mEq/kg). These DCAD were achieved by addition of 4 levels of chloride (SoyChlor; 0, 1.5, 2.5, and 3.5% of the diet). The diets were fed from d 107 of gestation to weaning. Urinary pH was linearly decreased(P < 0.001) as DCAD decreased in the diet. In Exp. 2, 66 sows were used and the dietary treatments consisted of diets providing DCAD of 140 and 56 mEq/kg. The diets were fed from d 111 of gestation to weaning. Reducing DCAD from 140 to 56 mEq/kg reduced ADFI from d 111 of gestation to d 1 postfarrowing (P < 0.02), but ADFI was not affectedby DCAD during any other period. Reducing DCAD did not affect reproductive performance of the sows, litter response variables, or plasma Ca. Decreasing DCAD in the diet decreased urinary pH (P < 0.001). Twenty-seven sows fed the postive control diet and 21 sows fed the reduced DCAD diet were evaluated during their subsequent farrowing. Sowsthat were fed the reduced DCAD diet intheir previous lactation had increased total number of pigs born (P < 0.08) and pigs born alive (P < 0.02) in the subsequent farrowing. Reducing DCAD had little effect on sow and litter response variables in the lactation in which it wasfed, but it decreased urine pH. Reducing DCAD increased total number of pigs born and pigs born alive in the subsequent farrowing.

Publication Source (Journal or Book title)

Professional Animal Scientist

First Page

149

Last Page

155

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